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Bajoran
The Bajorans were a humanoid species native to the planet Bajor in the Aplha Quadrant. The Bajorans have one of the oldest and richest cultures within the quadrant. Througout the 24th century they suffered greatly at the hands of the Cardassian Union. With the liberation from the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor and the discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole in 2369, the Bajorans were thrust onto the insterstellar stage. Physiology Bajorans resembeled Humans in appearance and were distinguished by a series of four to seven horizontal creases across thier noses. Bajorans also featured light and dark skin varients, although the darker skinned Bajorans were often much smaller thean the lighter skinned. The Bajoran heart was mirrored along a horizontal axis, unlike the Human heart, which is mirrored along a vertical axis. A puncture in the lover ventricle of the heart would cause instantenaeous death. Bajoran woman gestated for only five months, forming an intricate network of blodd vessels between the mother and the fetus. During the pregnancy, Bajoran women were frequentlynafflicted by bouts of uncontrollable snnezing. Bajorans had a lifespan of atleast 100 years, possibly even longer. History Ancient History In the 24th Century, Bajoran civilization stretched back more then 500,000 years. The ancient Bajorans were renowned for thier accomplishments in science, mathematics, philosophy and the arts. The greatest of these early Bajoran civilizations was the First Republic, which flourished between 20,000 and 25,000 years ago. During this time, magnificant cities such as B'hala were built. The next great phase of Bajoran civilization began approximately 10,000 years ago, when the first of the Tears of the Prophets were discovered above Bajor. These artifacts unhersed in a new era of spirtual connection with the Bajoran gods, the Prophets. By the 16th Century, the Bajorans had developed sublight space trael and were exploring thier hom star system with Solar-Sailed Spacecraft. Some Bajoran explorers even reached the Cardassian System, several light years away from Bajor. This period came to an end with the annexation of Bajor by Cardassia sometime before 2319. Prior to the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor, the Bajorans folowed strict systems of castes known as D'jarras Cardassian Occupation The Cardassian Occupation of Bajor was a period from 2328 to 2369 during which the Bajoran homeworld of Bajor was under the control of the Cardassian Union. During the occupation, the Cardassians perpetrated a coordinated scheme of strip mining, forced labor, and genocide across the planet. The Occupation gave rise to the fierce Bajoran Resistance, which used guerrilla and terror tactics to eventually force the Cardassians to withdraw from Bajor. Many Bajorans also fled the occupation and settled on planets all over the known galaxy, but almost everywhere they remained seperated from other people, living under the poorest of circumstances in refugee camps like those on Valo II. Independant Bajor In 2369, after forty years of domination over Bajor, the Cardassians finally left, no longer willing to stand against the relentless terroism of the Bajoran Resistance. As the Bajorans established an independant Provisional Government, the United Federation of Planets moved into the system and, along with the Bajoran Miliaty, etsbalished joint control of the Cardassian mining station Terok Nor, which they renamed Deep Space Nine (DS9). Bajor applied for Federation membership in 2373, but retracted thier application at the last moment becasue their Emissary of the Prophets told them this would be disastrous for Bajor. The two governments maintained a cordial relationship, however prior to the Dominion War in 2373, Bajor signed a nonagression pact with the Dominion, choosing to remain neutral. This saved Bajor from coming under the rule of another foreign power when the Dominion captured Deep Space Nine late that year. Bajor finally joined the fight against the Dominion in 2374 after the Federation Alliance recaptured Deep Space Nine in Operation Return. The Bajorans continued to fight against the Dominion until 2375, when the Treaty of Bajor was signed on Deep Space Nine. Following the war, Bajor resumed its attempts to become a member of the United Federation of Planets. Goverment Following the Cardassian withdrawl from Bajor, the interim Bajoran Provisional Governemnt was set up to administer the planet and its various colonies. Bajoran politics is balanced between the Chamber of Ministers, led by the First Minister, and the religious Vedek Assembly, led. Y the Kai. It is possible for one individual to be both that Kai and the First Minister simultaneously, as Winn Adami was for sever weeks in 2371. Agencies *Bajoran Institute for Science *Bajoran Intelligence *Bajoran Militia Religion & Spirituality Bajorans have a deeply spiritual society, and the Bajoran religion is a major unifying force on the planet; the spiritual leader, or Kai, wields a great deal of moral and political authority, advising and influencing the planet's political leader, the First Minister. The Kai is chosen from a council of Vedek's, the title given to Bajoran religious leaders. Other religious titles are Ranjen and Prylar. The Bajoran religion is based upon the revelations of the Prophets, who come to be known as the timeless beings residing in the Bajoran Wormhole, or as it is called by the Bajorans, the Celestial Temple. Since Starfleet officer Benjamin Sisko was the first to make contact with them, he is acclaimed by the Bajoran spiritual leadership as the Emissary of the Prophets. Part of the Bajoran religion involves the use of the Tears of the Prophets, reality-distorting energy orbs produced by the Prophets. Several of these were stolen by the Cardassians during the Occupation, though a number have been recovered. Culture & Society Childbirth The traditional Bajoran birthing ceremony is attended by the woman's family and a midwife. The objective of the ritual is to induce complete relaxation through a combination of breathing exercises, rhythmic percussion music and incense, allowing the woman to give birth without pain. However, the birth must take place in a certain period of time, or the level of endorphins within the mother's system will build to toxic levels. When the child is born, he or she is greeted with the following words: "Awake child, we await you with love and welcome you into the world." Music Bajor, as an advanced society, was well-known for its music both before, and after, the Occupation. The Jalanda Forum was a popular performance venue. The belaklavion was a Bajoran musical instrument. Holidays & Festivals *Days of Atonement *Gratitude Festival *Ha'mara *Bajoran Time of Cleansing Food & Beverages *Alvas *Bajoran Shrimp *Deka Tea *Foraiga *Groatcake *Hasperat *Hasperat Souffle *Jumja Stick *Jumja Tea *Kava *Kava Juice *Katterpod *Klavaatu *Koganka Pudding *Larish Pie *Mapa Bread *Moba Fruit *Palukoo *Rekja *Springwine *Bajoran Synthale *Tuwaly Pie *Veklava Technology The Bajorans had simple holographic technology, such as the ability to hide entrances with false holographic covers. See also *Bajoran starship classes *Bajoran Regional Comm Network Parallel Universes In the Mirror Universe, the Bajorans were a race conquered by the Terran Empire. They were liberated by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance and became leading members. Some, however, joined the Terran Rebellion. The Bajorans of the Mirror Universe did not know of the Prophets and were not a spiritual people like their primary universe counterparts. In another quantum reality, the Bajorans had overthrown the Cardassian Union prior to 2370 and had become increasingly aggressive towards the Federation. On Stardate 47391.2, a Bajoran warship destroyed the Argus Array as they thought that Starfleet was using it to spy on them. The next day, the same ship attacked the USS Enterprise-D under the command of Captain William T. Riker, causing damage to its power systems. The warship later disengaged after the appearance of approximately 285,000near duplicate Enterprises which appeared following a series of quantum incursions into that reality.